Nine Times Percy Helped A Friend and One Time They Helped Him
by LivingForEveryMoment777
Summary: Percy has always been there for his friends, through love issues, flashbacks and night terrors, he's been a constant source of comfort. But just once can he be loved in return?
1. Hurt Hazel

**Hi, listen I got a review telling me that my story was all dialogue and when I read it back through I found out that it was true. (I'm still a baby writer, I'm finding my legs still) The first two chapters especially were pretty disappointing so I have decided to rewrite them. I won't be rewriting all of them just Hazel, Jason, Leo and possibly Piper depending on your thoughts. Please drop a review on which ones you'd like me to rewrite. I have recently started following sacred rules of fan fiction written by me and one is that 'Thy stories must be of good standard. If thy get a review giving criticism thy must improve upon the point of disagreement.'**

 **So! Three extra chapters (At the least) Here is Hazel's. I might actually put some new chapters (Nico and Annabeth) in so it won't be the same plots over and over again but I will be rewriting.**

 **Thank you so much for your patience, I can't thank you enough.**

 **RainbowSpark18-Thank you so much. I was having loads of trouble for Franks scene as he hasn't been through as much grief in his past as the rest of them. You have saved my life! *Bows down to your writing superiority***

 **CheddarLord and Mystery0028-You win! After I've finished the rewrites which should hopefully be soon I'll do Nico's chapter**

 **WCS99-Glad you like it, means a lot to me. Sorry that it's not Annabeth next but I'll put her after Nico. Or maybe I won't. You'll have to wait and see... *Evil Laughter***

Over the mediterranean sea the Argo II slowly cut it's way above the ocean. The moons light bathed the hull in a shade of silver different from it's normal glow of gold. The sight, though invisible for mortals was beautiful. It was perfectly still. The whole night seemed frozen. As though the Gods had been humming and laughing and creating but in that moment had just stopped for one second to hold their breaths and see the world of humans that they had formed. The night was magical, rare. The kind that only came once in a millennia. Unfortunately, with this night came the nightmares.

In the hull of the ship, where the rocking and shaking were minimal was a girl, not sleeping despite the late hour. Instead she was curled up alone on her own, shaking with invisible horrors. Hazel Levensque was the both youngest and oldest person on the ship. She had grown up in a time of racial difference and magical superstition, not the greatest place to live when she was gifted with dark skin and powers over gems which cursed the precious jewels. She had then died to protect the world, and her brave sacrifice had never been known. She then had spent eternity in a plain of absence before waking up in the future where nothing was the same, no racial difference, no superstitious villagers and no Sammy.

 _Sammy_

Her one true friend, who had stuck by her for everything, who had risked life and limb in exchange for her friendship, who had left her with a lingering kiss on the cheek on her last day with him. Who had been long dead when she had awoken.

But Hazel wasn't thinking about Sammy, nor her awakening. She wasn't thinking about her sacrifice or, something even more terrifying, the unavoidable fight with Gaea. No Hazel had been shaken to the core by the images of death. And more than that, the voices of death. The voices of her deaths. The voices of her ghosts.

 _Child of Darkness_

 _Child of Fear_

 _Child of Magic_

 _Child of Hatred_

 _Child of EVIL_

 _Child of DEATH!_

The names and accusations bounced around Hazels skull, taunting her with the names that she had grown up hearing and had remained with her throughout her lifetime. (And death-time too.)

"Stop it. Please." Hazel wept into the pillow, the barrage of words filling her with more pain than monsters and blades ever could.

 _"_ _Why should we stop? You never stopped breaking us. Killing us. Watching us die. Watching our agony. And you did nothing. you stood and watched, living extravagantly. Not giving us another thought. Not giving us any hope of living. Never Never Never Never Never Nev-"_

Hazel let out a suppressed scream, muffled by the pillow that she was face-down drowning in. She writhed in agony and vaguely heard a tearing noise from the teddy she had unknowingly being clinging onto. The bear was torn apart now, disembowelled from her tight grip. Some of the fluffy inside was pooling out on the bed now and the teddy itself seemed to be looking at her with dejected frown. The look made her uncomfortable, as though the inanimate object was another person she had cursed. Another weight on her head. Watching her with eyes speaking of horror and terror and pain and-

"Hazel?"

Hazel shot up into a sitting position, shocked by the firm voice bringing her out of her reverie. Her eyes swam with tears and for a moment she didn't recognise the person in front of her. She couldn't tell if the person was friend or foe, ghost or memory. When she came back to focus she saw the tell-tale sea-green eyes that only belonged to Percy Jackson. Though normally she would welcome a meeting with her honorary brother at the moment it was the last thing she wanted. She didn't like anyone seeing her moment of weakness and that included Percy, no matter how sweet or kind he was. She was always jumpy after those dreams, jumping at small noises, hearing voices whispering cruel accusations. Thankfully she was normally able to disguise it as nervousness about Gaea and nobody really noticed. However it was difficult to hide your emotions from Percy. It was as if he had an empathy link with everyone on the ship. If you were upset, scared or chilled he'd know. It came in useful sometimes, he'd know when to give you a reassuring gaze or a comforting drink or hug. When to give you a blanket or when to stay by you. But it also meant that he would know when you were at your weakest. And sometimes that would mean that you would be found when you were vulnerable and scared. Everyone on the ARGO II had a past, sometimes a past they were running from. But Percy had a knack for knowing those skeletons and the scars they inflicted. And he would always be there to help you with them.

She raised her own 14 karat gold eyes to the boy, almost man in front. He seemed to see the problem in them. His gaze softened. "Nightmares of your past?" He said in a soothing tone that seemed to wash over her like a wave. She wondered if that was part of being a son of Poseidon. More likely it was just a part of being Percy. He sat beside her, the bed dipping with the additional weight. He didn't enquire further. Letting her start the conversation. She did so, hesitantly. "Ever since I came back from, you-know-where. (It seemed taboo to mention 'The Underworld') I've been… Having nightmares. You know about, what my curse did. However hard I try to deny it or run from it, those horrible things _did_ happen. I hurt people, often fatally." She couldn't stop talking now, words flowing out of her like a gushing river. "And after that I just ran away. Buying dresses, eating food. I flourished over the deaths I caused. How does that make me any less of a monster than Gaea! How can I be a hero when all I've ever been is a, is a." I took a deep breath. "A villain…"

Hazel heard Percy take a sharp breath in as though he had been injured. "Hazel…" He started before breaking off. "Hazel you're nothing but a hero. You helped save the World by sacrificing yourself. You had horrible luck and yet you grew up to be a strong, brilliant, brave girl who anyone would be honoured to call a friend. There's nothing that you did wrong and you've never done anything that's made you like Gaea. You grew up in a time where you weren't accepted and I'm sorry for that. You didn't let anything break your kind spirit and you've retained your inner beauty even now. you vouched for me when I was new and scared. You helped me when I broke and gave me a reason to carry on. I'm glad that you got a second chance at life because we got to meet you. And you are worth any monster Gaea could throw at us. " Hazel looked up at him with doubtful eyes. Percy tucked an arm around her slender body and drew her closer. He continued in an even softer tone "Hazel, you were a child wanting to please her mother. And once you found out about the curse you stopped instantly, not caring if you didn't get to continue your easier lifestyle. Trust me, I know how you feel and I also know that you were not at fault for this. Never forget that." Hazel gave a smile, a real one that showed her teeth and crinkled her eyes. The ghosts of her past would probably never vanish completely but with Percy by her side to help her she could keep them at bay.

And Percy would always be at her side.

Percy sat next the bed on a wooden chair, close enough to keep her company without overstepping any boundaries. He pulled the fluffy quilt over her, shielding her from the cold night wind. And he shielded her from the cruel winds of the past.

As Hazels gleaming eyes slid shut Percy let out a sigh of relief. Hazel was like a younger sister to him and when she was hurting he was too. Casting his mind back he remembered his own demons. Bianca Di Angelo, Zoë Nightshade, Castor Pollux, Lee Fletcher, Charles Beckendorf, Michael Yew, Leneus, Silena Beauregard, Ethan Nakamura, Luke Castellan. People he had let die. Their voices cried out to him in his own nightmares torturing him with accusing words. Hazel may have been a hero but he was nothing but a villain, profiteering from the deaths of others. Their losses tore at his heart every day, giving a burden that would never be lifted. He looked at Hazel, lost in the arms of Morpheus.

What she doesn't know won't kill her.

And if Hazel never had that nightmare again… Well nobody needed to mention that now did they…

 **First chapter up! (For the second time!) Thank you so much for putting up with me I love you all and you are all incredible and I love you and love you and GAAAH YOU ARE INCREDIBLE!**

 ***Insert cool sign-off slogan***


	2. Joyless Jason

**Hello! I'm sorry, I know I said that this would be out yesterday but my wifi hasn't been working for the last few days so yeah. Thank you for putting up with me! Jason! Jason was a really cool character. He has the constant dilemma of 'Rome or Greek' and I think that that was a really a good way of getting the readers to really understand the differences between the two camps. He also has the leader complex which really makes us think about who is the better leader? Percy or Jason? Personally I think Percy was the better leader. He just had that calming aura and a way of strength in both battle tactics and understanding his soldiers which is very rare. Jason was too firm I think. However he was really a great character and I loved him.**

 **Nikolas Eidhol-My brain is broken! In all honesty I don't even know if you wash garbage or not! I'm I'm... Yeah. I try not to think though. It interferes with being nuts.**

 **Raxacoricofallapatoreous-Hey fellow whovian! Your username is AWESOME! I looooove Doctor Who 3 In response to your review I don't know. i think it's really up to you for Piper and Jason. I mean, maybe Jason was charmspoke into loving Drew? Maybe Piper forgives him after a while? I personally think that they would start over but in all honesty I didn't really like that chapter. I agree with another guest review which said that they wouldn't cheat on each other. I might rewrite that chapter with a different actual plot because I didn't like it. For Percy and Annabeth. No. I hated that. I don't know I'll probably rewrite it as Annabeth confessing to Percy that she loves Luke? I just. I hated writing that. Thanks for the review it means a lot to me and hey, if you want to debate on Doctor Who PM me! (But please only stuff for the 9th to 12th Doctor)**

 **QueenFangirl996-Awwww thank you! Your kind review sent me over the moon and meant so much to me. You're a really nice person you know *Bows down and hails your awesomeness* And I do agree with you that the story Percy and fandom Percy are massively different. I think that fandom Percy is way more powerful and upset. I'm really relieved that you think I haven't wavered from the original Percy. This chapter is dedicated to you for kindness and awesomeness! YOU ARE INCREDIBLE THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE REVIEW AND I LOVE YOU SOOOOO MUCH!**

Jason groaned and dragged a hand down his face, tugging on some loose tendrils of golden hair. He took another look at the architectural disaster in front of him. Goode high school was a (you guessed it) high school full of stereotypical jocks and teenagers and no place for someone who had grown up in a demigod version of an army camp. It had been Chirons idea. He had seen Jason floundering out of his depth at camp and suggested he go to a mortal school where he was just 'small fry' instead of the leader. While it had sounded like a good idea, after all, all he had wanted to do for the last few days was relax and not be in charge, or rather, fail at being at charge. Jason was knackered. It had been a long time since he had announced himself as a Greek, and he didn't regret that choice. The Greeks were a joyous family and Jason was honoured to be one of them. It didn't hurt that it meant that he could enjoy time with his girlfriend, Piper McLean.

He gave a small secretive smile at the thought of the beautiful Cherokee girl, with feathers in her hair and purple fire in her eyes. Every time he thought of her he wondered to all the Gods how he had been lucky enough to deserve her. And the rest of the Seven were incredible too. As a Greek it meant that he got to spend more time with Percy, Annabeth and of course when Leo came back he could be with the resident flame shooter as well.

Yes, Jason was fully happy with his decision to choose Camp Half-Blood. However there were some problems he had with leading the greek camp. Mainly the problem of… Actually leading the greek camp.

When he was Praetor of Camp Jupiter the camp was led with a firm and indifferent tone. There were no room for questioning orders. Rules were tight and consequences were strong. It wasn't cruel but it was… Disciplined. Camp Half-Blood on the other hand was more of a family. There was no authority, no hierarchy, and no rules except the ones made by the campers. Any arguments would probably be petty but they would be settled out by the campers themselves with a fight to the death in the arena. Aside from Chiron, who didn't really concern himself with such things, having learnt his lesson a long time ago, the only person with any authority or status was Percy Jackson. Percy had a hold on the camp, and a good one too. He knew exactly the way on how to placate an argument, how the Stoll brothers would play out their pranks and how to stop or avoid them, he knew how to placate even Clarisse or how to keep morale high. He was the one who knew how to lead them into battle and how to soothe out their problems. In other words, he was the camps true leader. Jason was just a stand-in, someone who they tolerated but didn't obey. Percy was the only person who could handle them.

So, the next time Clarisse was chasing a victim to pulverise him, Chiron drew Jason aside and suggested a break as an exchange student. He recommended Goode high, something about a teacher called Paul who would be able to cover for him in the event of an attack. So that's how Jason Grace, One of the Seven, Hero of Olympus, Ex-Praetor of Camp Jupiter, Son of Jupiter found himself in Goode High School (Where School Is Goode!) on the day on which this story is set.

School was Tartarus. There was no other way to explain it. Jason had fought in the largest war ever imaginable, he had lost his best friend and he had lost his memory and been forced away from everything he had ever known. And yet somehow this hell-hole had managed to terrify him more than Gaea herself.

The people for one! The girls wore such clothing that made Jason blush and stammer and yet they hardly seemed abashed or ashamed. Rather they simply seemed proud of such exposure and flouted it shamelessly. It was thought that he might fit in with the jocks or sporty 'dudes.' After all with his athletic ability and good lucks it was pretty much expected. However his refusal to swear, saying strange sayings like 'What in Hades' or 'I swear on the Styx' alienated him. He was thought weird by the jocks, shoved aside by the sporties. Typically he sat with the geeks or unpopulars but he didn't fit in with them either. He was an oddball, he didn't fit in with anyone. It was almost ironic he thought. He came here to get in tune with himself, relax from the war and yet he felt more alone than ever.

He sighed and shut his locker door. He had another few days before returning to camp and yet it seemed like a millennia. He picked his papers for Latin off the floor and no sooner had he stood up that all his sheets were punched out of his hands. Thankfully Jason had the forethought to tie them all in binders so he caught it without everything spilling everywhere. He looked straight at the culprit. Matt Sloan had the hygiene of a goat and a snarly smile that was reminiscent of a shark. With pure gold chain around his neck and spiky rings on his plump sausage fingers he reminded Jason of a wannabe gangster. He somehow was the most popular boy in the school though for the life of him Jason couldn't figure out why. He wasn't funny like Percy or Leo, endearing like Frank. His looks though not explicitly ugly left a lot to be desired and it wasn't like he had much in the brain department. Yet everyone rallied around him like he was a God!

Yup. Mortal teens were weird.

Jason scowled at the hunk of unappealing flesh in front of him. "Sloan I'm telling you, get out of my my way or I swear on the Styx that I'll-" Matt let out a bellowing laugh. "I'll swear on the Styx! Jesus Jase you're such a freak! Who says that!" Jason gave a tiny flinch on the word _freak_ , almost unnoticeable unless you were looking. It was the worst fear of every demigod to be found out as different and be used as a laboratory experiment. That's why most demigods remained at their respective camps, fearing the outside world. So words like Freak and Monster were understandably fearful to them. Ignoring the word, Jason glared up at the bully again. While Octavian or anyone at Camp Jupiter would have quietened in an instance it seemed to only silently egg Matt on as he just continued his jeers and harsh comments.

Rolling his eyes he turned to walk away, not expecting the heavy blow that Sloan inflicted on him. Touching his cheek in shock he drew his hand back, revealing that there was blood on it. One of the rings had broken his skin. Jason scowled. He knew that he was more than capable of taking down the bully but one of the rules of being a demigod was that they couldn't harm mortals. He sighed and prepared for the next blow. But it never came. Jason looked back at Matt in curiosity and to his shock saw a sight he never thought he'd be so grateful to see. There, in the middle of the hallway was Perseus Odysseus Jackson. His arm was blocking Matt's raised fist and as Jason watched in shock he twisted it almost completely, electing a cry from Matt. Percy glowered and gave the bully the darkest glare Jason had ever seen. Even though it wasn't directed at him he still felt a tremor of fear at the darkness in his cousins eyes. Percy said something in a very low voice that even if Jason strained my ears he couldn't hear and then roughly let go of the limb as though it had mortally offended him. Matt and his cronies scuttled off, glancing fearfully behind them to check if they were being pursued. When Percy turned around the terrifying glare was no longer on his face and the wide easy grin reminded Jason of the Percy he knew on the joking days of the ARGO II. There was a slight silence between them before Jason blurted out. "I'm really glad to see you." Percy looked happy and a little shy at the compliment. He clapped a hand on Jason's back. "Well you won't get rid of me that easily. And besides I'm staying for good now."

Jason sat with Percy at lunch break that day and met two of his friends who were actually decent people. They all laughed and flicked food at each other and for the first time in a long time Jason finally felt like he belonged at the school. When Matt Sloan entered the room, instead of jeering or flirting at anyone he just simply shuffled to get his food and sat quietly. Percy's two friends, who hadn't been there when Percy had threatened Matt looked at Percy with their eyebrows raised. Percy looked up from his blue pasta angelically and if Jason didn't know him better he would've thought that he was completely innocent. Apparently Percy's friends knew him pretty well too as as soon as he raised his head one of the asked instantly. "What did you do to Sloan?" Percy gave such a genuinely confused smile that Jason was almost convinced. Almost. Percy's other friend gave a snort laugh. So you are saying that you, little waterboy, had nothing to do with the fact that Matty-boo didn't strut in here like he owned the place, complain about the food in a holler and then flirt with the lovely ladies over there?" he said while jerking his head to the cheerleaders and girls who Jason felt were wearing far too little clothing.

Jason snorted with disbelief.

"Waterboy? I'm going to tell that to Leo"

"Don't you dare Sparkle pants."

"Aquaboy"

"Superman"

"Fish for brains"

"Head in the clouds"

"Kelp Boy"

"Cloud fluff"

As Percy laughed and traded insults with Jason he let part of his mind wander to when he was a new kid at Goode himself. He had nobody to stand up for him and he himself couldn't bear to hurt anyone. It was different when people hurt his family though. But anyway when he was younger he had to put up with Sloan's bullying on his own. Once he had been shut in a locker for a whole night, only managing to get out when he had picked the lock and squeezed out. He had been fiercely claustrophobic as a child, the Sea doesn't like to be restrained of course so the night was filled with screams and tears. And that wasn't even the harshest times. Often he was unable to sleep or move for the extent of his injuries. His first year at Goode had been one filled with regret and pain. He looked at Jason who had a smile twinkling in his eye at a particularly clever name he had called him.

What he doesn't know won't kill him.

And if Matt Sloan never again harassed another human being… Well nobody needs to know that now did they.

 **So there you have it! I think that since Jason is now a greek he will have problems leading the camp. The greeks are just a massive family but the romans are like a military group. Jason will really have to change his ruling techniques. I don't know, I don't pretend to be an expert.**

 **So thanks to all the reviews! They really mean a lot to me!**

 **~Reach For The Stars77**


	3. Lightless Leo

**I loved Leo. He was even better thought out than Jason. He had a tragic past which he blames himself for, he has a real crisis on his hands and he covers everything up with smiles and jokes. I think he was a definite favourite. I just want to hug him so much and tell him. "YOU ARE INCREDIBLE NEVER DOUBT YOURSELF."**

Leo was done. He had decided to do another runner. He didn't know exactly what was wrong with his new home but he did know that he couldn't just stay. It was like there was nothing to excite him now. He sighed and looked at Festus. Festus seemed even more reluctant than he was. After all, this had been his only home. But when he suggested that the dragon could stay Festus snorted and blew fire at him. He had gotten the message. They would both stay one more day and then leave at midnight. (He never really got the whole 'midnight' deal but he figured that he could keep with tradition.)

He left a note on his bed for his brothers and friends and then started to set up one of the pegasus's. He had managed to wrangle a small one, Buttercup it was called when he heard someone behind him. "D'you need any help?" He stiffened. It was Percy. He would probably force him into staying. "Yeah, I was just planning of thing a ride, clear my head a little. I learned how to ride at a rodeo camp but there they didn't have these stupid annoying wings!" He half-cried in exasperation. Percy grinned and wordlessly started to slip the gear on. Leo watched. It was like he was in tune with the horses, probably having something to do with being the son of Poseidon.

"I tried running away once too." Said Percy, breaking Leo's train of thought.

"What!?" Leo thought that he was joking. It just wasn't possible that Percy could've abandoned everyone. I mean he was _Percy_! But one look into his eyes told him the truth.

"When." He asked quietly. He knew how this was always a delicate subject, more than most. (That was probably a bad thing now that he thought about it.) However, instead of getting closed off, Percy carried on talking. He spoke lowly and calmly but there was a tiny underlay of anger beneath his calm demeanour. "We were about to fight the second titan war and Morpheus, God of Sleep, had sent all of New York into 'eternal sleep' and I was about to lead a handful of demigods to the biggest army in History. I was certain that I was leading everyone I cared about into their graves."

"Dude." I said holding up one hand. "You had earned the respect of Artemis, killed the bloody minotaur bare-handed, pissed of and defeated Ares, held the sky, saved THALIA. You had done more than flipping Hercules. And you were scared of leading some demigods into battle?"

"But it was prophesied that I would die and _I_ had the Achilles curse. If there was something so big that an invulnerable soldier couldn't withstand, how could everyone else survive it. I thought I was going to kill everyone and that killed me."

I nodded with understanding, knowing how hard it must have been. Percy continued.

"And the only thing I could think of was how my constant turning point in my life with the noise and the bustling and the _normal-ness, was gone_. It was like finding out that the whole world was a lie. As though your best friend was a backstabber."

Leo kept listening, knowing so much on how he must have felt, old memories of a workshop fire stirring.

"But I went off with Annabeth alone and she helped me. We talked, and I told her on how it was before and we ended up laughing hysterically. I had found a happily ever after after all and I realised that just because New York was sleeping wouldn't mean that it would never wake up. And it fuelled me. I remembered that whenever something solid changed, I would just have to fight to get it solid again. I remembered things that would _definitely_ never change, like how Dionysus would never say names correctly or Annabeth would never stop fighting with me. And I realised that if I could only fight one battle, I would always battle to fix something, even if it was beyond fixing." Percy said, a small smile curling at the end of his mouth. Leo grinned along with him, remembering moments with him and the rest of the seven when they had had a huge party to celebrate defeating Gaea and when they had just had _fun_ together. He looked up at Percy who had finished gearing up the horses and had held up the reigns, ready for Leo to take them and run off, away from the Camp. "As the greatest son of Hephaestus of all time, you should know all about fixing things." He pushed the reins in a blushing Leo's hands. "Think on that repair boy, and know this. This camp is one thing that everyone believes will never change. But without you, it will collapse." He raised his hand in a two fingered salute, a final goodbye from a hero.

Leo looked in the reigns in his hands and sighed.

Damn you Perseus Jackson.

The next day Percy looked over glumly at the Hephaestus table, sure to see a missing camper. His eyes lit up like jack-o-lanterns when he saw Leo, laughing at a joke with Nyssa and showing Harley how to make a rubber band helicopter. He sighed, remembering how he had been tortured in his dreams by Morpheus showing images of his parents, citizens and friends, shouting and screaming and yelling how it was all his fault, that he should've fought Morpheus and their blows breaking through the Achilles curse in his dreamland, with the scars lingering even when he had woken up. He had barely two seconds of calmness before being thrown back into battle. When Annabeth had taken him aside, it had been to check up on battle strategy, not to see how he was feeling. He snuck a look at Leo.

What he doesn't know won't kill him.

And if Leo never felt the urge to run away from his friends and family for the rest of his years… Well nobody needed to mention that now did they.

 **Bye! See you when Pipers (or Reyna's chapter is fully written.)**


	4. Pain Filled Piper

**Hey guys.**

 **Look I'd like to apologise for leaving you all hanging. It really wasn't right at all but I've been going through some issues recently... Basically, my best friend, the one who actually introduced me to Percy Jackson died, via suicide. Its been really hard on me and I just haven't had the strength to write, everyday things just trigger me. It was my fault entirely, but while I do regret what happened I'm going to finish this for Suho and me. Again I really am sorry. Thank you everyone who still checks for updates and a big thanks to odee, Thatfangirl03 and guest-reviewer Percabeth, all of you really helped remind me of why I started this story and why I should stick it through and finish it.**

 **odee - I think I might have mentioned this before but sorry for not making it clear. These are part of the same timeline but you can change these tales to suit your ships. I hated writing it so I've changed it 'See this chapter' but maybe Jason was charm spoken. But I'd appreciate it if you forgot about the previous stories, especially if you remember the terrible quality they were.**

 **Thatfangirl03 - I've updated! Thanks for the review.**

 _ **Percabeth**_ **\- Back online, glad you liked the story so far.**

Piper was a very calm person. If you stretched the truth she could be called normal. Well, if you stretched the truth and excluded the fact that she was the daughter of a famous movie star and a literal goddess, had fought in the biggest war in history and carried a dagger on a daily basis. But her abnormalities were normalities for a demigod. Piper had as close to a normal life as possible. She was well educated in mortal school, law and even (after many lonely hours on netflix) romance. Typically she wouldn't care. Despite being a daughter of a love goddess she had never shown true interest in people of the opposite sex. Until she had met Jason of course. The son of Jupiter, Zeus whatever had been so sweet that from the moment they'd met their lives had both changed forever. Then again that had been the whole point. Ever since she'd met Jason her life had been ruined for good. She had been forced away from her home, her few friends and now her entire existence was tied to defeating her Godly great-grandmother or something! She sighed and slammed her head back against the panel of her cabin. She felt a tear run down her face. She didn't mean it. Not really. She loved being a demigod, Her life suddenly had feeling and meaning, she was accepted. She had a family. She sighed again. She knew she was grateful and happy. So why was she still mad. She abruptly let out a bloodcurdling screech and flung a item, the first thing her hands closed upon, against the wall. It was something heavy by the sound of it. Good.

She stayed like that for a while. Too furious to get up, too angry to fall asleep or rest. She kept her eyes closed, maybe as some form of defiance. If she didn't open her eyes it wouldn't be real. Her defiance was proven wrong a second later as she felt the wall quiver with the added weight of someone else leaning against it. She sighed heavily. She loved Jason but he didn't really know when to leave her to it. He was blissfully unaware of a teenage girls World. But that also meant that he couldn't help her in her weak moment. When she didn't hear Jason reassuring voice she twisted her head up to the towering figure above her. Her eyes widened when she saw Percy. The son of Poseidon was kind true but she hardly knew and she felt her pride bristle at the thought of appearing weak in front of one of the strongest demigods of the era. She tried to remain calm but her frightened eyes, like a deer caught in headlights give her away. She's frightened. Not necessarily in a threatened way, she had fought alongside Percy to many times to even think that he'd stab her in the back. More in the way that she feared his view of her would change. That her mask of indifference had cracked and he would always see her as a weak girl who slumped in a position of defeat across a bedroom floor.

She let out a heavy breath. She didn't know Percy that well, when in comparison to Leo, Jason or her friends from camp half-blood he was practically a stranger. The first time they met had actually been kind of anticlimactic and she had secretly harboured a doubt. _Is this really the first great hero? Is this it?_ However she understood now why he was so respected by all the members of both camps. It was something about _him_ , how he somehow stood in front of you, facing all the odds and came through it. And how just as you faced indisputable doom he'd turn around, wink at you and say; "It's fine, we'll be back before sunset." He was the backbone of the group, their dependance. Should something happen to him they'd be useless. They wouldn't be able to carry on. Then again that would probably happen with any of the crew. All of them were connected now, such a deep bond that they could never be broken. Percy had probably expected this, he'd been a demigod for years and must've seen the same thing happen to thousands of campers.

That probably meant that he did know how to help.

She looked up when she felt him place a heavy arm around her shoulders. Their eyes met and despite all the whirling thoughts going through her head she smiled. He easily returned the expression and began talking. "When you become a demigod you have to make sacrifices. It's not a choice, if you don't make them you'll put them and you in danger. It's almost impossible to have a real life. You'll always be looking over your shoulders, wondering where the next monster will be coming from." Piper stopped smiling. A frown, an almost furious gaze replaced it. "Aren't you supposed to say that it's be fine, that I can have a life outside this madness! Can't I just _be normal_ for once in my whole life!" The last words were yelled with an almost animalistic brutality. Percy responded with a heavy laugh of neither happiness or grief.

"I respect you too much to lie to you. It's tough being a demigod, and unfair. But it's fun too. I miss my mom, even more now that I haven't seen her in months. But that just makes it even better when I do see her. In your normal life you don't fit in. _We_ , don't fit in. I was isolated from everyone, Jason was taken from his parents. You'll have to ask the others for their own stories. But while we don't fit in with them. We still have family. All of us at camp, you've been there, you know what I'm talking about. We look out for each other. We trust each other. We rely on each other. We know the dangers that come with our lives, how tomorrow a monster could fall out of the sky and crush you but all that does is strengthen our bond. We don't waste time holding grudges or keeping secrets. We live our lives to the fullest and we have a great time doing it." It was a good speech, and she did feel better for it but the doubt was still there. Percy wasn't done though. He pulled her closer, she could hear his heartbeat. "It's not fair. And nobody saying that it is. But it is our life now. We can't choose our parents or choose that we don't want to be here or choose who lives or dies, who rises or doesn't. We _live_ and we don't become normal. But we are crazy people live in this crazy World and sometimes our crazy grows and we meet other people whose crazy is compatible and together we create a family." She blinked, for a moment in shock before letting out a heavy sob. Or maybe it was a laugh. She didn't really know, she didn't really think that even Percy knew.

But Percy kept his arm on her shoulder and let her cry it out. He didn't force the words or say pretty things. He gave her the truth. But he also gave her hope. She didn't remember how long they sat there. She didn't remember whether she fell asleep or not. As time went on and she grew old she even forgot the exact words she said. But she never forgot that moment. The moment where she had given up hope and the moment when a son of Poseidon gave back her courage.

Percy walked back to his room alone. He sighed, a bitter, humourless smile on his lips.

"Family huh?"

Piper would never know that he had questioned his own family, how half of it wanted to kill him and the other half ignored him completely. How the camp would blame him half the time and whisper behind his back the other half. How he had always been an outcast, separate from the others at camp, hated at the beginning. He sent a glance back to the Cherokee girl.

What she doesn't know won't kill her.

And if Piper finally felt like she _hadn't_ given up her family… Well nobody needed to know that now did they.

 **Wow, a little out of practise I guess. I don't know, do any of you want me to re-write Reyna's or should I get on with the newer chapters? Let me know!**

 **~ReachForTheStars**


	5. Rueful Reyna

**NOT DEAD! Sorry but I thought I had uploaded this but I hadn't so.**

 **Sorry. Thank you to all who reviewed *virtual cookies to all* I don't deserve you and you are the greatest friends ever!**

 **RainbowSpark18-Thank you! Glad you like it :)**

 **NekoRyuuKo-Glad you love these fellow percian *virtual cookie* and as for who I am going todo next... Well nobody needs to know that now do they... (If you did't get that then you are mean*snarly face*) But seriously thank you! It means too much to me!**

 **And finally to the random Guest!-Glad you like it! More is on it's way!**

 **Gives all of you virtual tea-party.**

 **Warning-Reyna might seem a little OOC in here but that's because this is a long time after the war so she's a little more comfortable and cool. Let me know what you think!**

I looked down at my fingers awkwardly. I fiddled with my fake nail that Piper had forced me to wear, half wondering how long it would be before I broke it. It was my birthday but you would never guess it from looking at me. I mean sure I was wearing a large golden crown which said IT'S MY BIRTHDAY in bright letters and sure I was wearing 'perfect make up' but birthday girls are usually up on the dance floor, messing about, flirting with the boys and bursting into perfectly choreographed dances. I however was on the bench pushed to one side of the room looking down at my completely ruined dress and counting down the seconds until this dumb party was over. I moaned and put my head in my hands, remembering how it had all gone pear-shaped.

 _Flashback_

 _I was dancing to 'all the single ladies' with Gwen and Kayla, while laughing hysterically when we got the moves wrong. Suddenly I felt a push at my back and almost fell over. I looked up to see Jessica sneering over me. Ugh. Jessica was like the 'queen bee' of the school. Her father was the CEO of Apple and she was literally a billionaire. I didn't want to invite her but everyone in Camp Jupiter insisted that I should invite EVERYONE from my mortal class. And Jessica was included in that. "Oops, sorry dumpster queen." She said while her cronies giggled. Though I was seething on the inside I forced a smile and forced myself to stand up with as much dignity that I had. "Jessica! I'm so glad you made it!" I made to hug her. She backed off quickly, obviously think that I wasn't 'worthy' to touch her. I swallowed and tried not to feel offended. She passed over a small but elegant looking gift. I looked at her, shocked that she'd even remembered that it was my birthday. I'd just automatically assumed that she was just here to flirt with the boys and show off her perfect body. I lifted the gift gingerly and saw the label. It read_ 'Happy Birthday' _in fancy lettering. "Well go on then, unwrap it!" Jessica said, bouncing on the balls of her feet, completely different from the hostile girl from two seconds ago. I sighed, having a bad feeling, and pulled the bow. The ribbon came off immediately and after pulling back the paper I saw an utterly beautiful jewellery box. I had wanted it for ages but didn't have enough money to pay for it. I guess Jessica had no problems with things like that. I opened it slowly to see what was inside when SPLAT! Inside the box there had been a paint gun loaded with multicoloured paint which, for the record, smelled AWFUL. I shrieked and dropped the box but the damage was done. I looked down at my long silky midnight black dress which complimented my eyes and figure perfectly and saw that it was completely ruined. Splurges of paint adorned it and I looked like a clown. Jessica said something, probably an insult and everyone started laughing at me, even Gwen and Kayla. I burst into tears and ran out of the room._

 _End Of Flashback_

I felt someone sitting next to me but didn't look up. Call me rude I know but I wasn't in the mood to entertain someone while I was feeling like a complete and utter idiot. "If that's you Jessica, come to rub it in my face how you ruined my party then you can just bugger off OK!" I half-shouted through my tears. "Well that's not very nice," Said a familiar voice. "For all you know, I could be there to help!" I shot up like a bullet and tried to wipe off some of the paint off my face. Sitting, not 1 metre away from me was Percy Jackson. "Uh, hi Percy, oh sorry I didn't, hey wassup?" I babbled, making even more of a fool of myself than I already had. I was completely over Percy romantically but still I wasn't comfortable with him seeing me as a sobbing mess. He gave a cute chuckle and wiped some of the rainbow of me. Once I looked a little less like a colourful mess he pulled me of the bench and tugged me onto the dance floor. "Wait!" I blurted. "My dress." He frowned and suddenly his face it up with an idea. He hugged me and then pulled away. Now his smart tuxedo was completely ruined too. He didn't really seem upset, rather looking like a very 'pleased with himself' toddler. I burst out laughing. He looked completely ridiculous, especially with the paint. "Percy, seriously, I-I can't go up there.." He looked upset for a moment but his enthusiasm wasn't dampened in the slightest. "Come on, this has got to be one of the most normal things you've done in a while." It was actually the first but I'm not going to tell him that. He led me onto the dance floor and stuck with me the whole party. We danced like complete idiots but had a great time. Just before I had to go home he gave me a huge hug before saying, "Happy birthday Reyna." I felt a bright smile cover my face as I skipped home thinking that yes, this was the best birthday ever.

Percy sighed as he saw Reyna running off happily, he remembered another disaster at another birthday party where _he_ had been humiliated and beaten before being thrown to a corner. He remembered how all his presents had been taken away and his cake smashed in his face and how he had many many bruises forming the next day. He snuck another look at Reyna.

What she doesn't know won't kill her.

And if Reyna never was bothered or embarrassed at another party or meeting again… Well nobody needed to mention that now did they.

 **Sooooo! Whattaya think? I might update this really soon (Like tomorrow) but I might have to but it of a little. No fear though I have made a vow to myself to NEVER QUIT A FIC! So next update will be soon!**

 **And by the way**

 ** _#WearehereWearehere_**

 **To the brave men who laid down their lives and futures so that we may live.**


	6. Torn Thalia

***Cough cough* "Um, hi?"**

 **(Ducks below a barrage of rotten fruit)**

 **I know I know, I have been offline for so long but that was for a good reason. Basically me and my family went on a brilliant trip to the peak district which for the record is probably the most beautiful place EVER. However it was a digital detox so we weren't allowed any media. I did leave an authors note along with this chapter explaining this but I forgot to upload it so really sorry for that. Now I got back a week ago but then I started reading over the last few chapters I was really disappointed in myself. I think that I really rushed these chapters and I'm not pleased with them. I will** ** _not_** **be going of for another amount of time but I will be taking down and rewriting some of the chapters. Thank you so much to those who waited. You will be rewarded!**

 **NekoRyuuKo-*Sees review* YES! In all seriousness I'm so glad you like it. I read your stories and I was bouncing up and down like "This awesome water likes my stories!"**

 **RainbowSpark18-Evertime I see your name I start smiling, don't know why its just that you are always so sweet. Here is your next chapter.**

 **Odee-Glad you like it, means a lot to me.**

 **EverythingButSleep-So glad you like it, I'm really honoured. *Blushing***

 **AND!**

 **Thank you to the three anonymous guests. To the first I'm really thankful, second I KNOW! It broke my heart to write that scene I will be rewriting that differently, maybe Annabeth telling him that she loves Luke. And to the third, I'm so sorry that you don't like it. I will be rewriting these but the isn't drama or adventure so there may not be action. But thank you. It takes a big person to write that kind of review.**

 **Well now that that's all done on with the chapter!**

Thalia stared into nowhere, her electric blue eyes blank and unseeing. In all honesty that wasn't completely true, as Annabeth would have told her there was always something you were seeing and always something worth seeing. Thalia was gazing into the distance at a tall tree. It's branches bore swathes of Pinecones. They were weighed down with the sheer amount of them. The glistening dewdrops seemed to sparkle like miniature diamonds, the kinds of which Thalia had never seen in true life. Those glinting drops seemed to be mocking her know, teasing her of a life she couldn't have.

It was her tree.

The branches used to be her thoughts, her _being_ , stretching out impossibly, as far as the sky. As far as her fathers domain. As far as the clouds were, up in a drift less sky, where there were no tethers and …Nothing… There was nothing there. No ground, no world, no friends. She had missed too much of her friends lives. First she had missed her little sisters childhood. She had always dreamed of teaching Annabeth fighting professionally. Having lounging days free of monster with available resources. Of being an older sister. Those dreams were over. Now Annabeth had grown up. She was older than Thalia and wiser too. She didn't want a bigger sister, she wanted a chill friend. And Thalia was fine with that. It hurt but in all honesty, though it was different in many ways, they were still sisters.

But it wasn't the same.

Then there was Luke. A sharp pang ran through her chest when the recalled that name. _Luke_. She had never truly loved him 'in eternally and forever' but they had had some sort of… Connection? She liked to think that way. She had fantasised that in another place, away from monsters and Gods that they could possibly… Be together? Their 'connection' always had questions. But perhaps if she had remained they could have been answered. But she had come back and it was too late. And as it turned out that after she was gone Luke and Annabeth had had some sort of unofficial relationship. And Thalia was fine. She had always known, deep down in her heart that it never truly could have worked. There would always be a monster or God that would be ruining their chances of a life. Of a home. A home together.

Thalia felt a tear falling down her cheek. She wiped it away furiously, not wanting to be seen in her moment of weakness. It was fine on most days but today was extra hard. This day, exactly seven years ago, she had been rampaged by a furious pack of hellhounds, furies and the like. Her body had turned to bark and her heart to wood. Her hopes, dreams, aspirations, thoughts of the future and fears of the past. They all ceased to exist. Vanishing from her subconscious like, breath on a mirror. She felt another tear fall down but this time did not brush it away. Now it was a comforting sort of reminder that she was flesh and blood, not wood and earth any more. She wasn't a part of a forest she was a part of her fellow demigods and her fellow sisters in the hunt. But was she truly? She had never seemed to come through fully. She had dumped the load of the prophecy onto the shoulders of her younger cousin and hadn't thought twice about it. She had spent the majority of her quest with him _fighting_ instead of focusing on saving him. She wasn't even part of the 'Nine' as they were now called. She wasn't ever there. When Percy had disappeared she hadn't been able to find him. Despite the fact that his hero act always came through for her when she needed backup or assistance or just someone to talk to, she hadn't been able to help him the one time it counted. The one time he needs her she wasn't there. Like always. And now he was back and he was fine but… She hadn't been there.

She let her fingers trail vaguely and they rested redundantly before selecting a few strands of the maize that happily grew around her and letting her fingers interlock them in any way they wished. It calmed her somehow, like a link to reality. Nobody else was around to see her in this time of weakness. Or so she thought.

She felt the grass beside her bend as it bore the weight of none other than Perseus Jackson. She felt his worried gaze on her and they sat in a silence. It wasn't oppressive or uncomfortable but it wasn't companionable or amicable either. It just sort of hung there, waiting but not knowing if it was to be broken.

In the end it was Percy's low voice that broke it. "I know what today is." She took a small intake of breath. It was more of wonder than shock. As far as she'd known Percy hadn't even been at camp when… The incident had happened. She replied hesitantly. "You're the only one who has." Another silence stretched out but this time it was of understanding. Percy hesitantly reached a hand out and rested it around her shoulder. It was a sisterly gesture but even though Percy was the closest thing she had to a brother, besides Jason, they had never really shared the whole touchy feely bond. She found that she liked that though. She only shared easy physical contact with those close to her and Percy definitely fell in that list. Percy out of everyone, even including Jason, was the one who understood her the best. Even Annabeth only really understood the part of Thalia who remained with her during her childhood and she was different now. Percy knew the new Thalia, her tastes, frustrations, fears. He understood how she wasn't a carer or someone who dished out wise advice. He understood that she was just a human. He saw her beneath the surface. Not as a mother, a sister. As a friend.

"It hurt seeing everything grown up. It was as if I just walked through a door and the World had moved on without me. And I just can't handle it. There's so many things that I just can't handle. And I got so scared of that so every time something happens I just shoved it off to someone else. I dumped the great prophecy onto your shoulders, I hardly helped at all in the prophecy of seven. When you vanished I couldn't find you at all and well, I've just missed so much of your life. All your lives.I couldn't watch Annabeth grow up, I didn't ever see Luke and well. He was something special. I just felt like myself around him. But now I don't really know anyone. I'm a girl out of time. I don't have anything. I just jumped into this whirlpool and it's hard to stay afloat. It's like I'm sinking in this endless hole of dread and unfamiliarity and I don't have anything to hold on to. I can't do anything."

After her rant was finished tears were freely flowing down her cheeks and her eyes were prominently red. The great daughter of Zeus hardly ever cracked her tough girl exterior but now that she had it all came rushing out in a flood of tears. She buried her face in Percy's arm and wept freely there. Percy carefully turned so that her face was hidden and gently stroked her hair while she wept. When her tears subsided Percy was still there. He spoke in a gentle tone, non judging and reassuring. He moved her hand gently and brought it up to his chest. There she could feel steady pulse. It was his heartbeat. Looking up into his famous sea-green eyes with confusion she saw a comforting smile.

"This is my heartbeat okay. And it wouldn't be here without you. You were always there. Always, trust me. Without you there was no way that I could have gotten the courage to go after Annabeth or fight in the Titan war. Do you know the first thing I thought when I saw you in the battle. 'Thank the Gods.' Thalia, you're incredible. You're thoughtful and sweet, yet tough and dangerous. You're contradictedly perfect. You may have died but we are so grateful that you got a second chance at life because your the glue that keeps us all together. You are our rock. And you are our everything."

Percy's voice was filled with a low reassuring tone that filled Thalia with reassurance and joy. She looked up again and the sea-green eyes held nothing but sincerity. The two cousins sat side by side for a while, enjoying the others company until Percy spotted the fatigue generated from repeated nightmares on her face. He smiled with a hint of humour in his eyes and told her to "Get some sleep, I'll be here when you wake up."

And he was. He always was and always would be.

Percy saw Thalia's electric blue eyes slide shut before heaving a sigh of relief. He hadn't been fully sure on his speech but Thalia seemed full of a gentle peace so he was happy. He was going to move but whenever he shifted the sleeping beauty in his lap would stir. Not to mention the fact that if she found out that he had carried her while she had been asleep she would pulverise him into next week. So he simply lay with the sleeping beauty in his arms. He didn't move in fear of waking her so he let his mind wander back to the time only a few months ago when he had returned from over half a year at the roman camp. He didn't know anything about the new camp with the new gossip, the new friends, the new players. He had been a man out of time. It was like he had vanished from time only to reawaken into a new era. There had been rumours on that he had run away to the roman camp, that he was a traitor. He bore them with a high head but a breaking soul. His broken gaze looked down at the lightening queen in his arms, safe and secure.

What she doesn't know won't kill her.

And if Thalia never felt like a girl out of time again… Well nobody to mention that now did they.

 **Let me** **know who you want to see next! BYYEEE!**


	7. Anguished Annabeth

**Hey all. I have, updated Pipers chapter, with a whole new plot so you might want to read that, which also has my reason for why I was offline. This chapter was a little hard to write for reasons explained in Pain-Filled-Piper so my apologies for any mishaps. As always any reviews or constructive criticism.**

Annabeth looked at the stars, at the night sky. It was a beautiful lamenting pattern, repeating over and over yet never the same. The same pattern was embedded in the sky forever, forever changing but never moving. They were constant. Always there. No matter where you were on Earth, or any part of the universe, there were always stars.

 _'_ _Except'_ a malicious part of her mind whispered _'tartarus'_

Annabeth shuddered but the festering thought had already been unleashed into her mind and soon her entire view was wrecked with contrasting skies of blood-red clouds and craggy black rocks. She shut her eyes in vain, trying to stop the smell of blood and horror but the views were imprinted on the back of her eyelids.

 _blood-horror-surrender-to-death-foolish-daughter-of-Athena-nobody-can-save-you-now-damasen-BOB!_

Annabeth screamed. Fortunately she was on top of Thor's rock, haveng sneaked out of her cabin so nobody heard. Her eyes opened but the images didn't fade. The stars were replaced by circling monsters, the sky, seeping with the faint purples and pinks of sunrise, faded and clouds of liquified blood took it's place. The cool breeze that tickled her legs was killed and a reek of fire and flesh and death that almost made her choke filled her nostrils. She wanted to scream, shout but there was no point. Nobody could help her, nobody could hear her. And it wasn't like anybody cared.

 _nobody-knows-nobody-cares-your-fault-your-blade-their-death_

She scrambled to wobbling feet, staggering to the precipice of the high monument. She looked down and through the red haze that seemed imprinted on the back of her eyelids she could see a ground far far below. She took another step forward.

 _repent-it's-your-fault-you-killed-them_

It was wrong. This was the cowards way out and she knew it. But she was so tired of being brave. She was so tired of the looks people got on their faces when they saw her and recognised her as the one who fell into Tartarus. Percy was seen with pride, he sacrificed himself. Annabeth Chase? No she's the one without powers, she was stupid enough to fall. And she was still falling. Beneath her the red pool yawned wider, tempting her, guiding her whispering-dreaming-laughing

 _Insanity_

She could feel the wind gushing past, growing hotter with every second, more inevitable with every breath she took. Her body deformed, growing vicious claws and demonic teeth

 _You won't see the stars and the stars won't see you_

The spiralling chasm gaped below her. Terrifying muscled tore through the bones in her back forcing her to scream in shock-pain-horror-loss-wrath-envy- _death_

 _Look at the souls that have suffered from your mistakes_

She was at the end of the rock. She looked down and saw a roaring pit of fire and heat and ketchup clouds.

 _Will it stop? If I fall will it stop?_

She would go to Elysium obviously. She had saved Olympus twice now, it was practically impossible not to. She could meet Luke again, ask his forgiveness. Silena, Charles. Everyone.

 _One more step and it'll all be over_

Her foot hung over the chasm but finally it wasn't over the depths of Tartarus or the swirls of insanity. It was above Thor's rock and she was Annabeth Chase with pale skin, too pale to be healthy and blonde hair with grey eyes. She was a human being.

But would it be okay?

How would it matter if she just fell, if she got her redemption. What would matter if she got her upcoming.

It wouldn't matter.

It would be so easy. No more nightmares, no more flashbacks, no more agony.

And she could see Luke again

She pitched herself forwards, letting gravity take control of her fall. She swept forward, screaming silently, hair billowing plummeting like a stone until she stopped. She opened her eyes, wondering how she had avoided the harsh landing and found herself cocooned in a sphere of pure water. She gasped and looked up. At the top of Thor's rock was a figure, too small to see from her angle but she only knew one person capable of manipulating water to this extent.

 _Percy_

She stayed limp as the water laboriously brought her back up, Percy was there, Gods he was beautiful. His eyes shone with a strange sort of fire, shining with a fiery sort of grief.

How could she think of leaving him?

For a moment they were stuck there, one moment in time frozen for what seemed like eternity. Then she was crying and collapsing and he was under her and it was _okay_ because he was right next to her and she wasn't in Tartarus and

"I love you."

His hand reached to the top of her head, the hair he'd fiddle with on a beach in the summer months.

"I can't live without you."

His hand lightly brushing the left side of her back, where he could just about feel her heartbeat.

"So please."

He pulled himself back, looking her perfectly in the eyes.

"Don't do it."

Another moment.

"I didn't know."

She whispered the words. The floodgates opened and he instantly pressed her back against him, wrapping his arms

"You're not getting away from me."

His arms tightened imperceptibly around her. She could smell the faint scent of sea salt and home. She wouldn't be happy in Elysium, she could't be. Because he was here

"Never again"

And it was alright. Because they were together.

She never asked why he was on top of Thor's rock. It was the same as not asking where he got the straight scars, too organised to be from fighting. It was the same as not asking where he went on days which marked a day of death.

Percy had always looked out for her, he had never needed her help. He looked down at her, nestled in his arms and never thought of her being able to help him, he couldn't let anyone carry his own burden. Annabeth, was his own version of perfect: strong, kind, incredible. Seeing her plummet sent his heart into a frenzy. He meant what he said. He couldn't, wouldn't live without her. He knew that that was the only thing that pulled him away from his sword on dark nights, because to loose himself would be to loose Annabeth.

And if Annabeth never felt trapped in Tartarus again, because Percy would always be there… Well nobody needed to know that now did they.

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **~ReachForTheStars**


	8. Fearful Frank

**Hey guys, sorry but I had End of Years and they are** ** _terrible_** **I doubt I got any sleep :P**

 **But as an apology for both my absences, I have a special announcement at the bottom so go check that out :D**

 **Responses to reviews!**

 **RainbowSpark18 - Yeah, that chapter was pretty dark, glad you like Percabeth fluff as much as I do:)**

 **Raxacoricofallapatoreous - Styx... Thank you so much for all of that, it meant so much to me. I really am glad that you think people can empathise and the fact that I can drive my readers to tears... Well I've always wanted to be the kind of person who can really make someone feel something sincerely. I cannot put into words how much that review meant to me but thank you so much you amazing person.(This chapter is for you!)**

Frank was _not_ a happy person. Or a happy bulldog. Or a happy sparrow. Or a happy reindeer, guinea-pig or chicken. Frank often shape-shifted in times of stress or anger. The simple-minded brains of the creatures he transformed into somehow soothed his own hundred-miles-an-hour one. And sometimes it also seemed as though he'd rather be one of them. Animals senses were heightened but their emotions were less complex. They always knew what they were feeling. Unfortunately Frank didn't share that and his mind always seemed to never know what emotion his body was going through. He growled, in his human form before sighing and resigning himself to having a sleepless night. He lay motionless for a while before deciding to venture outside. It was a clear night, full of stars. If he was in the mood he might have taken flight as a bird. But he didn't have the strength to. Not tonight.

"It's stupid" He muttered. Honest sincerity in the words. He _knew_ that it was no big deal, not compared to the trauma the rest of his team had been through. He shouldn't bring them down. He was a Roman, he didn't believe in weakness.

Why did it hurt so much then?

If it didn't matter…

Why was it making him so alone.

He stifled a choking sort of sob, standing at the edge of the Camps borders.

 _You are a Praetor. Act like one!_

Tomorrow he would have to leave Camp Half-Blood and leave with the rest of the Romans to Camp Jupiter. It would definitely be great to see his home, he was looking forward to using his newfound position to make some changes. There was nothing wrong with the camp, it was something separate entirely but he couldn't tell Hazel. She would only worry and besides, he didn't really need _her_.

"There's only one reason I find people out here in the middle of the night."

He whirled around, preparing to shift into some creature, to reach for his weapon. But then he relaxed. It was only Percy, his friend.

 _You were there too_

He winced, unnoticeably sheathing his weapon, letting his heart-rate and breathing slow to normal. It was downright creepy on how the Greek could pop out if nowhere, almost as though he had shadow-travelled. He turned fully to face his friend, finally feeling the uneasy thoughts leave his head. He smiled congenially, gesturing for his friend to join him. Percy obliged and sat in his typical sprawled everywhere style.

"What was it about."

That was Percy. Without a doubt he knew what was really going on, he wasn't an idiot. Either way, he respected the guy so much that he couldn't even bear the thought of lying to him. So he decided to completely honest in his answer.

"It was about…"

Say it.

"About…"

Go on, say it!

"a-about…"

"Frank it's okay."

His neck snapped up and to the side. Percy looked worried in the moonlight that shone on his face, like whenever Annabeth was missing.

"You're crying."

He frowned and lifted a had to his eyes. He wasn't cryi-

Oh. There were tears.

"Sorry." He said, not really knowing what he was apologising for. Neither did Percy as he sent him the very prominent 'what are you apologising for idiot' glare, patented by Annabeth on loan to Perseus. He was tired and wanted Percy to leave. He didn't want anyone to see him cry.

"Y'know, Annabeth once told me that tears are how your heart speaks when your lips can't describe how much you've been hurt. If you can't speak of what's hurting your tears let people know that you're hurting. They let people know that you need help."

"I DON'T NEED HELP!"

He screamed it too loudly. The sound echoed, not loud to wake anyone though… He hoped.

"Your tears aren't stopping."

So they weren't.

"So you're hurting."

So he was. He shakily brought his hands up, watching as the tears dropped onto them.

Those were his tears. He had cried them.

"You don't need to talk. But I'm here to listen."

Frank turned his head, a stiff feeling in his neck. His heart seemed heavy, but lighter than it had been before.

"It's stupid."

Percy didn't make any motion to stop Frank and so he just kept talking.

"I mean, you've gone through a lot more stuff than I have, it's just me being overemotional. I'm such an idiot."

There was still nothing. Picking up his courage started talking, properly this time.

"Just. My mum told me that I could be anything, literally. Then she died. And then there was that whole mess with my grandmother and I just can't help but feel like I should have helped more somehow. I mean, we're heroes aren't we? Isn't 'saving people, hunting things' practically our motto? But when it came down to protecting my family, which was my duty, the duty of every Roman centurion I failed horribly."

He laughed bitterly then blinked back tears. Maybe he didn't have a tragic past like the others but the reality of being the last of his line was pretty overwhelming, especially when he had spent so many happy times with his family. Now he regretted so many things, getting annoyed at their silly nicknames, not listening, getting mad, even destroying the china. Maybe it was true. Gratitude would always be less than regret because while gratitude could last for a day or such regret lasts for lifetimes. The wounds were still fresh, he'd only lost his last family member a while ago and both deaths just served as a trigger point for some major event, not giving him any time for grief. And he was a Roman, they didn't show any emotion, or at least any that would make them appear weak.

It might have been wrong but it was how he was raised, both at home and at Camp.

"I don't think you can measure sadness."

The sudden quote and the nonchalance with which Percy said it caught his attention. He blinked away the strange blurriness covering his eyes to listen.

"There's no meaning of having more or less sadness than someone. Your sadnesses are just as important as a little girls sadness as she grieves her dropped ice-cream. It's doesn't pale or grow in comparison to anyone else's, remember that. And everyone has emotions. Showing them without restraint, letting people see your true self, that is what makes us strong."

Frank took a moment from his grieving to really see his friend in a completely different light. Percy had suffered so much too, and yet he was here, giving all the right cues and words to not only help him express his feelings but counter them.

 _He should become a therapist, he's good at this talking thing._

"But it would be impossible to get to where we are today without suffering losses."

He had turned his gaze away from Frank, looking towards the sky. For a moment Frank thought he might be looking to the Gods before following his gaze to a famous constellation. _The Huntress_ was noted not only for her incredible accuracy, the image visible to even an untrained eyes but for the fact that it moved, the stars that formed her. She'd be looking or aiming at different constellations, astronomers were still coming up with theories as to how it existed. Frank had a suspicion that he was about to find out.

"Her real name was Zoë Nightshade. She was a huntress and forsook her heritage to help us. She betrayed her own sisters, just to save Artemis, and Annabeth. But in the fight she died. Overcome by grief Artemis preserved her in the skies, so that she would never be alone and she could see the glowing lights she loved so much."

He spoke with the air of a story-teller, as though he was telling a tale not completely his own. He seemed to have told the story many times but it didn't seem to be easy. What was it like to have to remember and grieve a death for so long?

"I still remember her. I don't doubt that everyone else does too. It helps us cope. And it's a constant reminder to us. Save the next one. Try with all your might to never let anyone else die."

Frank gasped. _That day…_

If anyone asked him one moment of the battle he would have just smiled and looked at the child of Poseidon, remembering what he thought would be the last moment of the battle.

 _Flashback_

 _The sword was knocked out of his hand, his bow had been shattered a long time ago. He swiped desperately with the claws of random forms._

 _'_ _This is it.' He thought hysterically. 'We're going to loose. We can't beat this force… There's… There's no chance.'_

 _He couldn't move now, he was pinned. What was the phrase? Between a rock and a hard place. He'd be lucky if his death was quick. The giant he had been fighting slammed his hand against his torso, shoving him backwards against the rock. An agonising pain shot through his abdomen like a firework, not being able to hear his bones break under his screams of anguish._

 _Then, just as he felt a sickening, torturingly slow snap the pressure stopped. Air flushed into his lungs and he felt his bones shift back to their normal place. He shakily raised his head to see his saviour._

 _Percy…_

 _"_ _We're going to win Frank."_

 _He'd heard the words many times before but when Percy said it, he believed him. He was so sure in their victory, it was raising for everyone._

 _"_ _We're going to go home, to camp. We're not going to leave it here. We're not going to run away. Or backtrack."_

 _Percy looked down at him, extending a hand._

 _"_ _We're going to win."_

 _He grasped it._

 _Thank you Percy._

 _Thanks for lifting me from that darkness._

 _Percy held his hand a fraction more than was necessary._

 _"_ _Let's fight and struggle for the bitter end. Let's put everything we have into this fight and then a little more. Let's not let anyone else get hurt."_

 _He didn't know it then but those words were for more than one person._

 _End Of Flashback_

It all seemed clear to Frank from the beginning. Percy was a leader, from their first game of capture the flag to the second giant war. He was the kind of person that you wouldn't want to let down, an inspiration to both camps. Their backbone, keeping them upright.

"The people we've lost become our guiding force, pushing us forward when we don't have anything to strive towards. They're our strength. Never forget that. Never forget them."

Both of them were silent. All that had been needed to said was said. Now all they had to do was see if the words had sunk in.

"Thanks… Percy."

Frank got up and walked back to his cabin.

It was a clear night, full of stars. If he was in the mood he might have taken flight as a bird. But not tonight. Tonight he had enough strength to be himself.

But it was weird. He'd forgotten to ask Percy what _he_ was doing outside. After all, there was only one reason why someone would be out so late at night.

Percy looked at the back of a retreating Frank. He turned his focus towards the stars. Hopefully Frank would take his advice. He wished he could. The deaths that he had gone through dragged to him, clinging to his soul with clammy, guilty fingers.

 _We died because of you..._

 _Why couldn't you save us..._

 _You say you protect people, why couldn't you protect us..._

He hadn't lied, it was because of those deaths that he strove forward, because he knew that if he stopped even if it was for a second he'd be swallowed up by the swathes of guilt that hung right around his soul. He had to keep running, towards a destination he didn't know. It was how he leaped over that river in Tartarus, it was how he'd survived this long.

 _I need to keep running._

How else could you deal with grief? What's other way could there possibly be? After all he'd killed those people, he was at blame for their death. He deserved no less. But Frank, Frank was incredible. He strove forward when nobody believed in him, when he didn't believe in himself. He truly was a great hero. He wasn't like that. He was just a guy who let the people around him get hurt, or worse. He turned his head to where Frank had been sitting.

What he doesn't know won't kill him.

And if Frank never found outside that late at night ever again… Well nobody needs to know that now did they.

 **So now we've got Percy dealing with survivors guilt, I'm so evil to my characters aren't I :D**

 **Okay, so now that the month of horror known as End Of Years are over you can expect more frequent updates. Maybe not over the holidays as I'll be in another country (No I'm not telling you where you stalkers) but when I get back, I'll have loads of material. By the way, I** **do have an exciting announcement!**

 **Big Announcement**

 **As an apology for both my long absences I will be accepting five requests for a story or one-shot, but only a short (Eight chapters or such) story. I guess that** **** ** _one_** **can be of a random fandom but I don't have time to get into many more than that. I'll have a few fandoms I'm pretty engrossed in below so do check them out. If you want a** ** _really_** **specific plot please PM me so there are no spoilers but if you're using a guest account just post it in a review, both'll be valid.**

 _ **Guys I was writing out a list of books but then I realised that I read super fast so even if it is a new one I can just read it and understand the plot pretty quick and also, I have waaaay too many book fandoms so all books are welcome (Though again, I'll be preferring ones I've already read.)**_

 **TV Shows**

 **Supernatural**

 **White Collar**

 **Death In Paradise**

 **Leverage**

 **Sherlock**

 **Doctor Who**

 _ **Oh and Movies I guess I can watch too so any are good.**_

 **Anime/Manga**

 **Fullmetal Alchemist**

 **Fairy Tail**

 **Your Lie In April**

 **Haikyuu**

 **Naruto (I watched a small part of it, but I know the characters and can use the wiki or episode references maybe.)**


	9. Needy Nico

**Sorry, again but I have writers block and distractions. But, something I hadn't even noticed until I finished, THERE IS ONLY ONE CHAPTER TO GO HOW DID THIS HAPPEN I DON'T EVEN REMEMBER WRITING THESE HOW HOW HOW!**

 **I literally looked at the chapters, realised Nico was the ninth and now there's only one to go. I feel like a parent sending their children into the World...**

 **Ahhh, the feels...**

 **But, to the reviews (Thank you everyone!)**

 **PuddlePirATEpro - Yeah, Survivors guilt is a very real condition and reviewing Percy's personality it is quite likely that he would develop that in his post-war state. There are also quite a few hints to it in Trials of Apollo if you've read that. I'm so glad you enjoy this! It makes me happy that my readers do genuinely like my stories, even if to me they are just a big mess of word vomit...**

 **Raxacoricofallapatoreous - You really are a ray of sunshine y'know. I always feel so motivated when I read your reviews :) You've been a real source of inspiration to me and if my stories make you happy I'll keep writing forever :)**

 **Death Fury - I'm glad! Welcome to this shaded, sporadic crazy corner of that I call my profile! It's mucky and messy but it's home. It makes me happy to know that people really do enjoy my stories. By chance, is your username related to How To Train Your Dragon? (Night Fury, Death Fury?) What fandom is it, or did you just like the sound of it? Sorry, I'm really nosy :D**

 **FirstMasterMavis - Your first few chapters are up, they're called 'Bound Together.' They centralise on each characters Guild Mark, but I can change it any time. I was originally going to write story and I have a plot line planned, just in case.**

 **Mystery0028 - Agh, you've been such a loyal person sorry for leaving Nico's for so long... But, this chapter's for you!**

 **AND MY STORY OFFER, GIVEAWAY WHATEVER THING IS STILL OPEN EVERYONE!**

 _"_ _Bianca!_

The child of Hades woke up in a cold sweat, a shuddering cry on his lip. He instantly felt the chill that frequented the Hades cabin, almost uncomfortable. Typically he'd welcome it, it was strangely humorous to watch others shiver while he remained impassive. But now he found himself overcome with a nervousness he'd never get used to and a strange longing for some sort of human contact. The notion seemed crazy, he was the child of Hades, he did not need 'Human contact' but there was an conspicuous absence of anyone in his cabin.

Did that thought stretch to his life? Was he truly just destined to be alone for all of eternity? He'd lost his friends, his mother, his sister. He'd come dangerously close to loosing the only family he had in this time.

The War.

It was unfair on how much they'd lost in those simple letters. They'd lost so many people, so much happiness. The life of a demigod was unfair. He could hear Percy's voice, saying on how being a demigod taught you to appreciate and love life more and how they lived better lives because they were grateful for all the little things around them but that only worked for other people. He was the child of Hades. Nobody was exactly running around him in the way they did to children of Poseidon or Apollo. Amongst normal people he was seen as an outcast, around demigods he was a freak. Was to possible for someone to be hated so much? Apparently so. How else would his life be explained?

An outcast among outcasts.

He shook away the dark thoughts, he didn't want to dwell on anything right now. It was unhealthy but it was his coping method, drown everything behind a mental block. It's not like anyone was there to care about him.

 _Well. Not anymore._

He knew logically that he should try to go back to sleep, staying awake at such an hour wouldn't help him at all and being the ghost king didn't make him invulnerable to tiredness, no matter how much he wished it would. He remained fixed in his sitting up position, mentally accepting that no matter how much he _wanted_ to sleep, it was that he _couldn't_ that was the real problem. He was too stimulated mentally, the nightmares fresh in his mind.

 _Those nightmares_ …

He didn't want to acknowledge them but in the moments like now, when the moon was hidden by clouds and the World around him was silent that he felt that he was safe to show his emotions. It was childish but… He'd had his childhood torn away unfairly, he was allowed one vice. He sighed, banging his head lightly against the headboard, looking through the see-through roof to the sky. Annabeth had wanted to originally have a completely blocked in cabin but Percy talked her out of it. He'd never say how grateful he was for that. The skies were beautiful, especially here, away from any form of civilisation. You could really see them shining.

 _The Hunter-Orion_

 _The Huntress-Zoë_

 _The Huntress…_

It really was petty he knew. How childish was it to be upset that his sister had tried out a life of her own. It didn't matter, not really. It was just a nagging, annoying regret that lingered from those youthful days. It was silly. He'd faced things so much worse, Tartarus itself, captivity in a _jar_ so why did this one loss, this one betrayal hurt him so much? It didn't make sense… What did he regret _so much_ about Bianca. Deep down he knew the answer.

But he didn't, couldn't, _wouldn't_ accept that.

It wasn't true…

He gulped, pushing down all the strange memories and feeling. He shivered unconsciously, pulling the blanket tighter around him. He really hated that the cabin was so cold. He curled into himself, putting his head in-between his knees. He told himself it was only for the cold. It was actually so that nobody could see his tears. The tears didn't come out in a gush of wails, just in a silent, steady trickle, escaping from behind his eyelids. For a moment he felt like a child, crying away his sorrows. But children got comfort, a parent, guardian or a friend. Him? He had no-one. Nobody would come to help him, nobody would miss him. He found a small part of himself surprised of how bitter that made him feel.

He stayed hunched in that position for a while before feeling the hand on his shoulder. As soon as he felt that he reached for the the dagger under his pillow, panicking when he felt his arm gripped and twisted so he was trapped in a tight hold. After the momentary panic he calmed down enough to see Percy holding him tightly. He snarled, not entirely playfully and Percy let go of his arms on a playful surrender. He sat up on his bed, unsure on what to do. Nobody came near the Hades Cabin, it was practically taboo. Was he supposed to pull out cake or something? He shook off his nerves and scowled. It was only Percy after all.

"Well, I'm never walking in on you again this early in the morning. I'm pretty sure that glare could freeze water."

His stare didn't abate and the joke fell flat. Evidently sensing the horrible tension Percy's eyes softened and he nudged Nico over, sitting by him on the bed.

"I know what day it is."

The son of Hades wasn't surprised.

"How… How are you?"

He shrugged. He wasn't about to lie.

"If you want to talk you should-"

He clenched his fists, the cliche words hurting more than they should have, coming from his hero.

"Know that I-"

He lunged from the bed, landing a mean right-hook along the other boys jaw. The resulting crunch was welcoming to his ears, like a reprieve from his previous, darker thoughts. The next blow was expected and Percy blocked. Had it been a real fight he would've had to intercept with double feints and flips but he was confused, strangled by long-lost memories. That raw power was channeled through his fists, relenting his hold over any control, letting the grief that had lingered for too long break free.

 _Break Out!_

"YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING! YOU DIDN'T KNOW HER, YOU DON'T CARE, IT'S NOT FAIR SO DON'T YOU _DARE_ PRETEND!"

He pulled in a heavy breath, returning to his frenzied attack with an unsurpassable fury.

"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP! DON'T TALK TO ME, YOU CAN'T, I CAN'T LET YOU IN _SHUT UP_!"

The tears raged down his face in waves, showing the hurt he'd kept hidden for so long.

"IT'S BEEN YEARS AND…"

"You still miss her. Today especially."

He lunged out again, wanting to attack with that crazed frenzy again but he ended up collapsed against the older boys chest and the World just seemed so _quiet_ that for a moment he didn't mind.

"It always hurts…"

"I know."

"Do you?"

The silence was answer enough. The effort of standing grew to be too much and he felt his legs weakening and sliding down. Percy was quick to respond, guiding him with a comforting hand and brave face. And something else, something that felt almost like…

Happiness.

It took him a while to identify the emotion, and _God_ didn't that make it just hurt more because he had been a child once with dreams and beliefs and he didn't want _this_ life.

"None of us do…"

Percy had somehow followed his train of thought and had broken in at the exact right moment. The smile that he shared lit another feeling in his heart. Brotherhood. There was nothing romantic, not really between them but he knew that Percy dd love and care for him, if not in the way he'd once dreamed of. Collapsed on the bed he buried his face in Percy's shirt, needing it for the moment.

"I... I miss her."

" I know"

" I don't want to forget her."

"I know."

There was a moment of understanding between the two. Nico felt the anger dissipate, the harsh words seeming to fall away like echoes. His throat was sore, strained by all the shouting. He smiled internally. Percy must have known that the best way to help him feel better was to let him scream it all out. He knew the regret of _letting_ Bianca die because he had the exact same one.

 _You really are something else aren't you Perce..._

"You know, you might have lost your old family, but your new one is right outside of you give it a chance."

His eyes snapped open, when had they shut anyway? And he saw Percy looking out to the door. He obviously still thought that Nico had a place at camp... Maybe he wasn't wrong.

"Everyone here is a little broken. We've all lost someone, or something. We've all shared your pain. We might not be able to help... But do you think that... Even it's only a little, if you feel better, isn't it worth it?"

But he'd always been alone, ever since Bianca. He didn't know anything about having a family at camp.

"There might be those who prefer solitude, but not a single person who can withstand it. Let us in. Do you really think that Bianca would have wanted you to be alone."

"You don't know anything about her…"

The words weren't spoken with the earlier heat, more of a drowsy, almost disappointed tone. But he'd heard people say that too many times, saying that as if they knew his sister. He'd hardly spent a few days with her, how would he-

"No, but I do know one thing. She cared about you. In that sense, I'm a little like her. So is everyone here. We care about you Nico. So please, just let us in."

Nico felt a sudden drowsiness overcome him, slowing down his reflexes, making him unable to answer. He got the feeling that Percy didn't mind. His back slipped down the headboard, resting along the mattress. He suddenly felt a wave of tiredness overcome him, a yawn slipped out. Percy shifted as though to leave but he loosely gripped his arm.

"Can... Can you stay? Just until I go to sleep."

There was nothing romantic in the gesture, he just didn't want the nightmares to return and he knew that Percy could keep them away. Percy seemed to get it too as he grabbed a chair and shifted it closer to the bed.

"I'll stay right here, don't worry."

He would... Percy never let him down.

When Nico's eyes slipped shut Percy screwed his shut as well. He hated the sky on nights like these. The stars seemed completely too bright, barreling through his eyelids like sharp knifes. The pain he felt from those deaths was a type that he could never move over. Every moment all he could remember was Bianca's final smile, Zoë's final words. The last seconds, just before the life would drain from their bodies. The reminder of their personality, their bravery. Robbed away. Because of him. He had never wanted that to happen, had never _meant_ for that to happen, it wasn't right. Especially to someone like Nico, who was like a younger brother to him. When he remembered the child with Mythomagic and the ceaseless questions he felt a piece of his heart break. He looked at the brother he'd broken and thought of the sister he'd betrayed.

What he doesn't know won't kill him.

And if on the next anniversary of Bianca's death Nico came to Percy instead of him having to crawl out of the cabin and check on him… Well nobody to mention that now did they.

 **Like I said, Word-Vomit... But I know that while Nico has gone through worse, Bianca is really the root of all his pain. He was so heavily affected and that aftermath affects I'm even now... I'll see you all next chapter and remember, if you want to request a story, feel free!**


	10. Pained Percy

**Sorry guys, I've been stuck in and out of hospital and school and no wifi and so many other obstacles that this has taken so much time. I had it all written, ready to be edited but so many things were blocking me, I'm so sorry.**

 **But I can't believe that I'll be saying goodbye to this story now.**

 **In these last moments I just want to say thank you, I'm planning on having a proper thank you chapter next time so do come to check that out. You've been so supportive through one of the hardest times of my life and here I've genuinely felt so happy just reading all your reviews, who would've thought that reviews and follows would help me so much!**

 **But you've been so incredible, and I tear up every time I think of you guys. Even if you didn't follow or review, knowing that people have read this story means so much and thank you for helping me.**

 **Ahhhh! Tears! Skipping to reviews, skipping to reviews!**

 **Raxacoricofallapatoreous - Thank you, really. What you've done to help me through this is so much and, I am so so grateful. Thank you, for everything.**

 ******off - Hi, I'm really sorry that you don't like my stories, if you write what you dislike in particular I'll be sure to correct it in the future. For now, do you think you could not swear? I'm really sorry but I think that some younger people read these and even I don't like swearing. Have a nice day.**

 **AlexFocker - I AGREE PERCY IS SO AMAZING! And yes, if he was real I'd smother and pamper him XD Well, I guess we'll have to rely on the other Percy's in the World like you to save up :)**

 **SunshinySmiles - (Oh my goodness your username is adorable and I love your Alex Rider x Percy Jackson crossover story!) I'm so glad you liked that! I think that we really make a mistake of looking at our heroes through rose tinted glasses which is an unfair perspective. Percy and the others do have their flaws and I'm glad you liked my portrayal of that.**

 **Death Fury - You weren't joking when you said your stories were 'not happy.' but they're awesome! I just read 'The Untameable', it was knowing that I have such talented reviewers that got me through the worst of things! Thanks for everything!**

 **steelmagnolia247 - It's people like you who make the difference between having to live and wanting to live. Thank you. For everything. For more than you can imagine.**

 **Thesplash121 - I** **f anything I'm flattered. Thanks for reviewing and supporting me on this, I really appreciate it.**

Percy didn't smile anymore.

Not alone.

Not since Annabeth…

 _"_ _ANNABETH!"_

 _"_ _S-Seaweed… Brain."_

 _"_ _You can't leave me! Not like… Not like the rest. You aren't getting away from me remember, we're stuck together."_

 _Her face, streaked with blood and grime, looked content. She had never looked more gorgeous._

 _"_ _I'll never leave you alone. I'm just, going on ahead. I'll see you in a while."_

 _She smiled, and for a moment they weren't in a ditch with a claw piercing through her stomach. They were in the strawberry fields and she was teasing him with a clever joke. And he would pout… And she would laugh… And they would be together…_

 _"_ _Live for me, Seaweed Brain."  
It sounded too much like a goodbye…_

 _"_ _Wise Girl. I can't… I'll be alone."_

 _Everyone else had already gone on ahead. He was the last demigod of the old generation. Why did they have such short, cruel lives?_

 _"_ _I can't live without you… Please Wise Girl."_

 _"_ _I'm sorry… Percy… I love you…"_

 _"_ _I love you too… Annabeth."_

 _Silence…_

 _"_ _Annabeth?"  
"Annabeth…"_

 _"_ _ANNABETH!?"_

He shot upright, fingers knotted in the sheets of the Poseidon Cabin. Despite the many years, there were no more children of the Sea. Zeus's Cabin was fit to burst, causing no surprise to anyone and much anger to Hera.

Jason and Grover had fallen many years ago, shielding a new demigod who had brought the tragic news to camp on her own. Thalia had fallen in battle only shortly after that, unable to bear the second loss of her baby brother. The three teenagers were like his siblings. Grover had been his oldest friend and the two children of Zeus were like annoying elder siblings, Thalia being the one who teased him about girls and constantly whined about him being uncool and boring.

Frank, Piper and Hazel had died in an invasion of Camp Jupiter a mere year ago. The three were a heavy blow but unfortunately not an unexpected one. It was hard to imagine a World where demigods could live for more than a few years. Everyone lived, but everyone died.

Nico had fallen years ago, smiling in death as he never had in life. He remembered consoling a heart stricken Will at the funeral and leaving a mint-condition set of Mythomagic cards with the boy who had grown up too fast.

Leo… Leo had been gone for a long time now.

All of them had left… Except for him. They faced battles and armies and monsters and then, they died. And he was left on his own. It was really his fault. He hadn't been there. It was completely and utterly his fault. He had been all the way in Camp Half-Blood, too far to get there in time to handle the first waves of the invasion of monsters. He should have been closer. He should have been there. All he remembered was reaching the battlefield, seeing the blood and the rest was a red haze of swords flashing, last breaths, clever manoeuvres and nick-of-time ducks. And through it all, he could remember the tears streaking his face, mingling and hidden with the sweat. And the heartbreaking feeling of being alone…

He was, and still is alone.

Percy had smiled when he was with others. It had been a long time now and he's lost sight of a time that the smile was real. It hurt, more than the sword cuts that weren't from training or fighting.

He fingered the scars, not liking their message. That he was weak, that they were gone. Each one was the same length, an inch for every person he lost. One started at his hip and zig-zagged up around his waist until it reached his collarbone. That was the biggest one, one that he added to every time a demigod fell. Every time a human fell. He closed his eyes, letting his fingers ghost over them, letting the images flicker underneath his eyelids.

Letting himself remember the one death that broke him.

Letting himself remember _her_.

It was strange. Sometimes he felt her, standing beside him, guiding him in with a smile on her face. There was a kindness in her touch, never really there and only when he needed it desperately. When he was fighting and an enemy was just out of his eyesight, she'd be his warning. When he was struggling over some tactical or logical problem she'd be the reassuring arm on his shoulder and the idea in his mind. When he was alone with a razor sharp blade and a head of haunted memories she was his witness. She'd cover his body with her own, protecting him from himself.

That was probably the safest thing, the smartest thing.

He was the biggest threat.

He was the reason she was dead after all.

The reason they were all dead.

He let out a humourless, strangled laugh.

It was strange though. Sometimes he'd forget how alone he was, in the hype of sword fighting, eating, living at camp. It was strange, scary and… In some ways nice. A brief reprieve from reality. But then he'd turn to an empty space and… It would vanish.

Every time it felt like the scars were reopening, the reprieve vanishing, replaced by an overwhelming sense of grief and pain.

 _The Pain…_

He often wondered how Chiron dealt with this pain for so long, the loss of loosing those important to him. A teacher, watching his children grow up and… Having to watch them leave him.

He knew what it was like to be the last of a generation. To have lost too much family. The pain that he felt was one that he didn't bear alone. But then again, in some ways it was. Chiron had moved on from the deaths, he had already experienced the loss of those he held dear. That didn't mean that the old centaur didn't _feel_ pain, more that he knew how to handle it. His scars would scab over and eventually faded to silver lines. Percy's were constantly picked at, lemon juice squeezed over them to keep them open, to keep the blood flowing. And all of this so that it hurt more, because it was his fault. If he had been there. If he had blocked that sword. If he had sacrificed himself. If he had gotten there quicker. If he had hunted more monsters. If he hadn't been in New York. If things had different back then.

But it wasn't.

He was still in his bed. He had torn the sheets now, his solid grip splitting the seams. It was just too hard. He didn't understand how people seemed to just 'move on' after an event. It didn't work like that. The pain lingered, carrying on into every part of his life. It would be better if he didn't see them.

Because he did.

It wasn't as though he saw blonde hair and remembered Annabeth. It wasn't as if he saw Hazel as a ghost or hallucination. It was that he _saw_ them. All of them. They'd be _there_ , as solid as anything with no sign of any scarring or any hint that they were dead. He didn't know how but it was as though they'd never died. Jason would sprawl across the couch, Leo clumsily piled on top of him, half knocked out because he was that exhausted. Piper would smooth away Jason's hair all the while giving a long-suffering look. Hazel would be hanging off Frank, shrieking as he swung around and almost made her loose her grip. Nico would be on his left side, acting as though the position was casual, trying to not make it a big deal. On his right was Thalia who took a sadistic sort of pleasure in electrocuting him when she got bored. Grover would be with Juniper, the both of them talking with love in their eyes, his best friend turning to smile at Percy every once in a while. Annabeth… Annabeth would simply be there. That was enough. It would be as though nothing was wrong. But normally it would only last for a few minutes, like a flashback before it slipped away, like water through his hands. No matter his power, it wasn't in his control and it left him.

 _It wasn't fair_

Because sometimes the image lingered and it warped into something hideous. Something false. Something terrifying. Leo, instead of simply sprawled on top of Jason was dead, a sword slicing through the flesh of his back, revealing a flash of white that was identifiable as his spine. He had always stuck by Jason. It was only fitting that he should shield him from death. Jason was almost to charred to recognise. Acid had marred his once handsome features into a disfigured mess. His clothes and body were charred, as though he had been roasted in the heart of a flame and maybe that was how it happened. Piper was kneeling in front of him, a spear cleanly cutting through her body. He could see the tear tracks on her face. He could see it in his minds eye, her seeing him, kneeling over his body, leaving her vulnerable to… To…Nico looked frighteningly childish, not a mark visible. But he was motionless and he was curled around the blade of a sword. A sword that was embedded in his stomach. Hazel and Frank had died together. Her left leg had been blown off by a greek-fire bomb that had gone off too soon. He had been carrying her off to safety when both of them were flattened by a monsters club. Part of their body was smeared across the ground and it took all of his self-restraint to not throw up. Grover and Juniper were two intertwined bushes of foliage, together even in death. A sense of beauty even in such a horrific place.

Annabeth was gone and that hurt the most. Because it never mattered how terrible the situation was, _as long as she was there_. But she wasn't. And she would never be there again.

He shakily got up from the bed, navigating blindly. Trying to erase the false, warped images from his memory he walked to the bathroom, placing one foot in front of the other in a robotic, practised fashion. Today was going to be a bad day, he could tell. It was already in his mind. He groped in his pocket, feeling for a small metal tube. Pulling Riptide out of his pocket he grasped the cap hard, preparing to unsheathe the sword. He needed something to anchor himself to reality. To _this_ reality. He couldn't live in his fantasy, he had to face his duty. He had to be strong for the campers. For Chiron. For the future Annabeths and Jasons. He didn't like his… Coping mechanism but he had to do it. For them. There was no other way.

 _I'm sorry Wise Girl. But this is the only way._

He placed the side of the sword along his arm, careful to not apply too much pressure. Not yet. When he had it aligned over an old scar, he took a deep breath, sliding it across his skin. A tingling feeling, followed by a warm liquid dripping across his skin. He bit back the wince, he was used to the pain now. He angled the blade deeper, mentally knowing he wasn't nearly deep enough to seriously harm was just to remind himself, to keep him strong. By having this one weakness he was protecting everyone else. It was for the greater good.

Sliding the sharpest edge across the arm he pulled the last part of the sword out of his arm, the shining metal marred by the red blood staining the blade.. The blood dripped off the point and he systematically cleaned the slippery liquid of the sword, aware on how it would congeal quickly if left alone. He waited.. Wishing for the initial pain to diminish before moving to the next part of his skin. Again and again, letting the pain wash over him like a blanket. He loved it, finally letting the voices, the screams vanish, replaced by the stinging in his arm. A reprieve that could go on for as long as he liked. After a while he let the sword drop, the weapon suddenly heavy in his hand…

Before lifting the blade with his other arm. He moved the blade so that it rested across his forearm, the point directly situated so that at the slightest bit of pressure, the metallic point would pierce through the first layer of skin. The first layer of skin in front of his heart.

This was too far. He had never wanted to abandon anyone. Suicide was wrong, he had a duty here.

But at the same time…

He could see Annabeth again.

His hand shook, strained with both the awkward angle with which he was holding the sword and the stress of what he was about to do.

He couldn't.

But… He wanted to.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. Internally he knew it was wrong. Annabeth wouldn't want him to die just out of his own selfishness and cowardice.

 _But he wanted to._

It wasn't right.

 _But it was easy._

He wouldn't do it.

 _But what if he did?_

 _It hurt…_

"Percy."

A warm hand was fixed on his wrist. Firm and loose at the same time, tight enough so he was aware of its presence, loose enough that he wouldn't feel confined. That pressure was developed over years of comforting each other from nightmares.

Only one person had the right to hold him that way.

He turned his head, only his head, keeping the sword fixed. He met eyes. Grey eyes. Eyes that seemed sharp, like a whirling hurricane, that seemed like molten silver. Eyes that looked like they were plotting out a thousand ways to take him down. He knew those eyes.

Only one person had the right to own those eyes.

He looked wider now, loosing the tunnel vision. He saw the face, a face that he had dreamed of for years now. Uneven freckles, arched eyebrows, a permanent wrinkle in the forehead.

Only one person had that face.

Annabeth.

"Annabeth."

Her pink lips parted in a smile that was both beautiful and sad. Both of their eyes were full of tears. Her image blurred and he blinked. Never before had she ever looked so… Solid. So _there_. He hardly dared to hope but he didn't think that this illusion was just an illusion. Her eyes sparkled with the same allure of sunlight over an open ocean.

He hadn't seen those eyes in a long time.

There were tears on his cheeks, from when he blinked earlier. She reached out and wiped his cheek with her thumb, giving a sad smile. She didn't speak because that was never how they communicated. They had never needed anything like _words_ to convey how they felt. No words could describe it anyway. Their love story wasn't some romantic movie of 'hands-almost-touching' and 'standing-in-the-rain.'Their love was different. It was of attacks against enemies where a single wrong move would cause peril, of 'I'm still here' kisses, of trying something new every day.

She was even more beautiful than he remembered.

 _"_ _You just had to try that new deli didn't you!" He groaned, parrying a sword from a monster too creepy to describe, one that probably would give any other person in New York nightmares._

 _But he was Percy Jackson. He dealt with these creatures on a daily basis._

 _"_ _Oh like it was my fault! You just had to investigate that noise. Practically every day you're like 'oh I don't want to invite trouble but today you're just Sherlock Holmes aren't you!"_

 _"_ _You're the daughter of Athena you decide on a plan!"_

 _"Oh noooow you listen to me!"_

 _"_ _Okay fine, you're the cleverest woman I know, this is almost certainly my fault and please come up with one of your genius plans that will save us!"_

 _"_ _Almost?"_

 _"Is! This certainly IS my fault, now fix this!"_

 _"Well, since you asked so nicely…"_

 _"_ _Thank you!"_

 _"_ _I MIGHT help you out…"_

 _"_ _COME ON! I'll buy you whatever you want."_

 _"_ _That's what I like to here. Now, it's the exact same plan as the cyclops on the Underground."_

 _"That… Might work."_

 _"I'm a daughter of Athena, of course it'll work."_

 _"_ _I love you."_

Every moment he stood still he found himself lost in a new memory. Every second seemed to stretch out, held forever in place by the feeling he got when he looked inside those grey eyes. He smiled, and unlike the past years, it was real. His heart was light with a sense of fulfilment and a new and strange hope that reminded him of his old day at camp, before the wars and the deaths.

"I love you."

That was Annabeth's voice. After so long that was Annabeth's voice. And this wasn't a hallucination, he could feel it. But the dead didn't come back, he had to say it now.

"I can't live without you."

There. He had been honest on Thor's rock and he was honest now. Living without her was impossible, he'd known that from the start.

She smiled.

"Percy. Please. Don't do it."

Her hand was still halting his sword but the strange insanity had gone now. He heard no more voices tempting him with the escape of death. There was only Annabeth, and he could never say no to her.

 _A love that lasted through strawberry fields and Tartarus._

He dropped the sword. It made a clanging on the ground, and freed from the heavy burden he collapsed, pulling Annabeth down with him. Her hair tickled his neck and he laughed.

 _I forgot what that felt like, to laugh._

Annabeth pulled back, looking into his eyes.

"Come on Seaweed Brain. We all miss you."

She stood up, pulling him up by his arms and led him into the other room. He blinked twice, still not sure if this wasn't a dream. Because the sight in front of him was one he'd longed for for so long.

Jason was sprawled across the couch, his head resting in Thalia's lap, she occasionally zapped him, meaning that his hair was stood up completely. He looked as handsome as ever. Piper was curled up next to Thalia while Leo sat opposite his best friend, cracking jokes and light-heartedly flirting with the girls, whining when they hit him. Hazel had her feet propped up on Leo's lap, resting her head up against Frank and loosely intertwining her hand with Nico's. Grover and Juniper were there, collapsed at Jason's feet.

He smiled at the site. The unfamiliar gesture hurt his face but the smile only widened. He took his place, Annabeth beside him. And he fit there perfectly, as always. He remembered the feeling. He recognised the warmth that bubbled up inside him, the heat with no real source that coursed through his body. He recognised the feeling of falling asleep surrounded by people who loved you.

He didn't remember falling asleep. Because he must have. He woke up the next morning with nobody beside him. He was passed out on the sofa, leaning on a pillow, hand intertwined with thin air. He might have dismissed the whole thing to his imagination when he remembered.

He didn't remember loosing his friends.

Sure he had closed his eyes, and they had vanished again.

Sure he had felt as though they had abandoned him, or that he had failed them.

But now, that one memory reminded him of others.

He remembered the pain that came with the memories, that would never fade.

But he also remembered the joy.

He remembered _them_.

And maybe, that was enough for him to want to live.

Either way, whether they were there or not… Well nobody needed to mention that now did they.

 **I'll have another chapter for everything else but now I just want to send out a massive thank you to everyone. I wouldn't be who I am without you.**


	11. Thank You

I am so sorry for those who came here for a new chapter but I felt that this was too important to leave out, I needed some way to thank all of you. I promise I won't make a habit of writing chapter authors notes but this was just something I felt I had to do so please bear with me! Before I start I just want to thank those who have been there for me during this tough time.

Death Fury - If anything awesome isn't a word strong enough! Thank You for your stories and kind words.

RainbowSpark18 - Glad you liked it! Thank You for your undying support and friendship.

Soomanyfanfics - Sorry for the tears, but Thank You for for letting me know that I made you cry!

Raxacoricofallapatoreous- You're someone who inspired me to constantly do my best, even when it's 'too hard.' If anyone deserves the title of amazing it's you.

Guest(1) - Frank You! I loved the joke, it was puntacular! I'll be sure to try and make you cry someday!

SteelMagnolia247 - Your words had so much of an effect I can't even say. You were the greatest encouragement I could ask for. Thank You for your strength in everything.

Guest(2) - I can assure you that I did not copy the story, but I can actually see what you mean. After you wrote your comment I went and checked her story and I think it's just because we both went and zeroed in on the flaws shown in the book, and in the series most of the characters only really have one prominent flaw.

Dragem315Percy - Sorry! But, emotions (and tears) are sought after in an author so Thank You.

First of all, I really want to confess how hard it was to pick up a pen and keypad and start writing again. For those of you who didn't know, my best friend, and actually my first true friend unfortunately died while I was writing this story, due to suicide and I blamed myself, feeling horrible for killing her. Me and my friend used to write stories together, and knowing that I'd never be able to do something so important to me with her by my side was heartbreaking. And to actually push myself in front of a notebook without her partnership is something that I cannot describe. It's a truly horrifying thing to be on your own. To add to this, I was severely bullied and wasn't comfortable enough to go to my family, without feeling that I was bothering them. I really did feel completely isolated, as though there was nobody to hear my words. And the words weren't coming. Like a sort of mental block, I felt unable to move forward, trapped by the words of my bullies and myself. Everyday tasks were a struggle, and I still wasn't letting anybody know how broken I was. I acted normally, but I honestly felt as though I was shattering.

At some point time while I was steadily breaking down, I found a sort of refuge in my local library. Seeing words, the same words that trapped me being used so beautifully gave me a brief sense of freedom. Not so much my own freedom as the freedom of my characters. Each of them had their own troubles, most worse than mine but reading was a way for me to escape into their land. To go to a place where there was nobody I knew and nobody who knew me. It was a chance for a new life. And whenever one of these characters won against an unmoving obstacle or overcame a challenge, I felt pride for them. And these stories gave me a solace, away from my steadily crumbling life. When I looked up from Dan Browns Da Vinci Code and realised that my smile for once wasn't fake, I cried. Right there, in the middle of the library, I cried.

But it was a lot easier, and I realised that I could smile more, if I had the courage to try.

I took out books on psychology and therapy, determined to understand my own mind. The words that others used to trap me were negated by my own words, words that I modelled into a weapon. I didn't give up, I kept on working hard. And I remodelled myself. I took the attributes of my characters, their strengths, their skills, their personalities and I crafted a new self. I became someone I could be proud of. Now I work on a online group where I converse with people who feel troubled with their lives and I comfort them. I walk tall and proud. I always try hard. I am trying to be stronger, and I am.

I'm not stupid enough to say that I'm healed, because there are still moments where the bullying and the sense of failure and the feeling that I am alone will haunt me. But I am strong enough to say that I have gotten stronger.

 **And I know that you are strong as well.**

I don't know all your stories and I don't know your pain. But I know what it feels like to be trapped. And while we may not have the same emotions, I want you to know that I am still here for you.

I will _always_ care about you.

And if not me, there are others who do.

 ** _You are not alone._**

 ** _You are not weak._**

 ** _You are not ugly._**

 ** _You are not wrong._**

You are perfect, in all your flaws. You might not be able to see it but I promise that I do. You are right, you have your own unique self and I am so grateful that you are in this World.

And if there are people who can't see that, if there are people who don't see your innate beauty? It is their loss. I feel sorry for them because they are missing out.

But if you still feel trapped, that you feel that there is nobody to help you and nobody you can turn to. If you were scared like me, that you can't turn to anyone because you think they will be bothered or annoyed, know that they care. They will want to help. And also know that I am here.

 **THIS IS YOUR OFFICIAL INVITATION**

PM me, review me, anything.

I am here for you.

Your feelings are not invalid. You deserve comfort and kindness. You do not deserve the pain you're going through, you deserve all the kindness the World has to offer, no matter what you've done, or what you feel you've done.

Know that YOU ARE YOU

YOU ARE INCREDIBLE!

There is nobody else you can be.

There is nobody else you should want to be.

Because you are so incredible, even if you maybe don't see it now.

And you are not alone.

Because you are so so so amazing, and you are in the presence of people who know your rightness.

Don't be afraid to talk, don't be afraid to let your own words loose in the World. Know that, now, tomorrow, as long as I live:

I LOVE YOU

And Thank You.

For being you.


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